


Proximity

by mybrainproblems



Category: Free!
Genre: A few stray mild curses but basically G-rated, M/M, Pro Swimmer Rin, Trainer Sousuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 20:24:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2401739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mybrainproblems/pseuds/mybrainproblems
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the cusp of turning pro Rin's pushing himself too hard leading his coach to recommend a new trainer. Sousuke is a trainer who's relentless training ended his own career and he's determined to help Rin achieve what he couldn't. After years living and working together maybe there's a little bit more to it than just friendship.</p><p>Seriously though, when's the wedding?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Proximity

**Author's Note:**

> Commissioned by ninanna!
> 
> This came out a bit more serious and a bit less shippy than I originally intended but I really love Sousuke and Rin's friendship / their relationship in general.

It hadn’t been sheer luck that Rin Matsuoka was standing on the cusp of his dream. No, it had been hard work, determination and a zealous devotion to his training regimen. Sometimes it was grueling and it seemed like he would never see the end of the tunnel, but then his times would decrease and he would see a little bit of light at the end.

And it was that glimmer of light that he chased.

His father’s dream – no, his own.

 

“Matsuoka, can I have a word?” It was a Tuesday afternoon and they had just finished practice, Rin had been hoping to get back to his dorm room as soon as he possibly could. He had gone to university to swim, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t there for an education as well. He still had classes to keep on top of and it had become more and more difficult to keep up as his swimming career advanced.

“Of course, what is it?”

“I’d like it if you could come by my office tomorrow before practice. A friend of mine is visiting and I want you to meet him. Actually, I’m hoping to have the two of you work together, he’s an excellent trainer and I think you need someone like him right now.” Rin gave his coach a puzzled look.

“Why do you think I need a different trainer? I’ve been doing really well so far, my times have been going down consistently for the past year.”

“And that’s why I think you should meet my friend.”

 

Rin spent the rest of the afternoon and evening studying on and off as he became increasingly distracted by his own thoughts. _I wonder who coach’s friend is? He said that he’s a trainer but I don’t see why I need a new one. There are a couple of other guys on the team who have times just as good as mine – okay, maybe even a tiny bit better – and they aren’t seeing anyone special. Maybe he’s worried I’m not challenging myself enough? I can’t imagine doing more than I am now, even if I’m going to go pro after I graduate._

 

The next day he showed up early to practice to go to his coach’s office. He had practically fainted when he saw _the_ Sousuke Yamazaki sitting in his coach’s office. However, only the most basic of introductions were made before Rin was sent off to get ready for practice. He felt his thoughts caught up in a whirlwind and had to force himself to focus on practice even though he could practically feel two sets of eyes watching his every move. No matter how hard he tried to treat it like it was any other practice it didn’t negate the fact that a former world class professional swimmer was watching him.

Rin had been under the impression that practice had gone well, even if he had been a bit distracted. However, now that he was face-to-face with Sousuke again he wasn’t quite so certain. It wasn’t that the other man looked upset or disappointed; he looked concerned. His gaze contained something that Rin wasn’t entirely comfortable with.

“I wasn’t that bad was I?” Rin shifted uncomfortably under Sousuke’s gaze.

“No… you were very good.”

“So why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do you know why I didn’t make it to the Olympics?” Rin blinked confusedly at him and opened and closed his mouth before speaking.

“You were injured during a qualifying competition.”

“Yes, but more specifically I was injured because I was training the way that you are right now. You’re putting your heart and soul in but your body just can’t keep up.”

“So what then? I’m not good enough?” Rin clenched his fists in anger but nothing would stop the sting of hurt from Sousuke’s words – _not good enough._

“No, you’re more than good enough, but I think you can be better. You just can’t do it the way that you have been.”

 

Now, two years later, Rin wasn’t just on the cusp of fulfilling his dream. He was living it.

He wasn’t officially on the national team yet, but as long as he didn’t choke in the upcoming qualifying tournament he was practically guaranteed a spot. His times thus far had him consistently in first place in the last four major tournaments and he knew in every fiber of his being that each victory was as much his as it was his trainer’s. Sousuke had completely overhauled Rin’s training regimen immediately upon becoming his new trainer. Rin had watched himself go from being consistently in second or first place to being in third or even fourth. He had been furious about the changes until he realized how much _better_ he felt on a daily basis. He woke up alert, he no longer felt consistently exhausted throughout the day, his stamina was better to the point where he could easily have swam another lap at the end of each race. And that was when his placing skyrocketed and his times plummeted. First was no longer a reach; it was practically a guarantee and Rin’s frustration with Sousuke quickly dissipated and turned into a close friendship. As they traveled the world from tournament to tournament Rin came to realize that he valued Sousuke’s friendship above all else. He was the sheltered bay that he could return to in the maddening kaleidoscope of airports, foreign countries, and impersonal hotels. When the world around him became too strange, a familiar face was like returning home.

Even now they stayed together as they traveled, though they stayed in separate rooms within suites rather than two queen-sized beds in a cramped room like when he first turned pro. There was definitely a bonus to being at the top – sponsors were at the ready to pick up almost every cost. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but Rin did miss Sousuke’s company late at night when he couldn’t sleep. Just hearing another person’s breathing did wonders for him if he woke up in the middle of the night. But no, this was life at the pinnacle of sport. It was occasionally isolating, but every step – every stroke – brought him ever closer to his dream.

 

In the lead-up to the tournament Sousuke had insisted that Rin take it easy. He shaved off a few reps here and there from his dry land training and an entire set of laps from his in-pool time. At this point Rin wasn’t about to question Sousuke’s methods or his intuition. After all, this was the tournament that had ended Sousuke’s career and even though he felt strange as he watched his opponents in the pool and weight room far more frequently than him he never questioned Sousuke; not now. He had told Rin many times, incessantly driving it home: “Listen to your body and don’t ignore the pain, your body is trying to tell you something so listen.” As much as Rin would joke about Sousuke repeating stories and nagging at him like an old wife he listened and he learned and he appreciated every story and every piece of advice and wisdom that the older man had to offer. The world was within his reach and he wasn’t about to let himself stand in his own way.

As he stepped up to the diving block he found the familiar faces; his mother and Gou cheering before fingertips had parted the water and Sousuke with a look of such fierce pride that it took his breath away.

Rin was going to win for himself, for his father – for Sousuke.

 

After securing not only a place on the national team, but also setting a venue record Rin and Sousuke agreed that he could take off more than a day or two to let himself relax. Sousuke’s definition of “relax” was Rin having one day where he was allowed to do absolutely nothing and spend the day with his mother and sister eating whatever he wanted before starting his usual 5am run again the next day. Rin didn’t have any real complaints about it though, his early morning run helped him to center his mind for the rest of the day. It helped that Sousuke would run with him, the rhythm of their footfalls eventually synching up as they moved in tandem. They didn’t speak as they left, they didn’t speak as they ran, they didn’t speak if they stopped for a breather. All communication was nonverbal and spoke to the number of hours and days and years that they had worked together. They only broke the silent peace of dawn when they returned.

It was a simple routine that Rin sorely missed in the week after the competition as Sousuke went to visit his own family. He didn’t let himself slack off while Sousuke was gone – he still ran and after a couple of days started a lighter version of his usual work out – but he certainly felt as though a part of his routine was missing. He knew that he enjoyed having company in an abstract sense but it wasn’t until he returned that Rin realized that there was nothing abstract about how much he had missed having _Sousuke_ around.

There was also nothing abstract about how much he wanted Sousuke to hug him.

There was also nothing abstract about the lingering feel of Sousuke’s touch on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off. Sousuke was his friend as much as his trainer and with all the time that they spent together of course it would feel odd for them to be apart for longer than a day or two.

 

A couple of nights after Sousuke had gotten back Rin tried to get Sousuke to go out to a bar or a club with him and Gou. Instead, the two of them ended up sitting on Rin’s couch eating take away curry and not really paying attention to what was on the television while they talked about potential change-ups to Rin’s training regimen. After a while their conversation trailed off and they were left half-watching but not really comprehending what was on the television. Rin was about to break their silence to ask Sousuke about how his mother was doing when he realized that Sousuke had fallen asleep. Rin shook his head and settled back into the couch and let Sousuke’s head rested on his shoulder. _It’s so nice for us to relax together like this. We haven’t done something like this in ages and it’s been training and traveling and meeting with sponsors for months now. We deserve this break._

He realized that he must have dozed off when he opened his eyes to darkness. Sousuke had woken up at some point before him because now he was laying down on the couch with a blanket covering him. Rin sat up and rubbed at his eyes and looked around and realized in the faint glow of lights beyond the windows that Sousuke must have left already. He felt an aching emptiness open up as he realized that Sousuke had left without a word.

_He just wanted to make sure that I’m well-rested for tomorrow. Stop reading into things, dammit. It’s not like he was supposed to kiss you good night._

Rin fell into bed and curled up.

_…but I would have liked him to._

 

Rin usually appreciated the silence of their morning run, but this time it felt deafening. There was too much held behind the press of his lips as they nodded at each other in acknowledgement before starting off. The silence of their run was usually the calm to which he returned throughout the day, but now… The silence was deafening. He could feel it settling on his skin and in his hair; hear the rush of it in his ears as it overpowered the sounds of a city waking up.

 _Nothing happened last night. There’s no reason for me to feel like this. Nothing_ happened _. I didn’t do anything, he didn’t do anything._

_I wish he had._

The day went by much the same as any other; as did the one after that, and the one after that as well. Rin took those days to settle his emotions and take the position that yes, he had a crush and no, he was not going to let it impact him. Not his swimming and certainly not his friendship with Sousuke. The only potentially discernable change that Rin let happen was slightly masochistic. He enjoyed every touch and every moment of banter and as much as he didn’t want to, he found himself flirting and leaning into every touch. It hurt to be teetering on the verge of something and knowing he couldn’t go over, and yet Sousuke’s presence continued to be the soothing calm in the storm of joining and practicing with the national team. Technically he was supposed to work with the team’s trainer, but with the results that Sousuke had produced nobody could argue with the two of them wanting to move forwards together. There was of course also the matter of publicity; who wouldn’t love to read about the former Olympic hopeful struck down by injury taking a younger swimmer under his wing and helping them to achieve their dreams?

Rin could tell by Sousuke’s face that he didn’t much care for the drama of the idea, but was clearly happy that they would continue to work together.

_He’s not happy for the same reasons I am though._

 

Sousuke always yelled at him for his poor form when it came to chest presses. No matter how strong his arms were, he never held it steady enough and if someone (usually Sousuke) wasn’t spotting him he was liable to accidentally drop it to one side or hit someone with it.  His laughably poor form ended up being a point of bonding between him and the rest of the team so as horrifying as it was to nearly break the foot of his team mate, Sousuke had quick reflexes and his team mate a good sense of humor. There were other up- and down-sides to his poor form.

Upside: Proximity to Sousuke and a good view of his abs. Very motivational.  
Downside: Proximity to Sousuke and a good view of his abs. Very distracting.

 

“So why can’t I use a machine like half the rest of the team?”

“Because this is better.”

“How the hell is it better when I nearly broke someone’s foot?”

“Your body has to make a conscious effort to keep things balanced. It’s better, I promise.”

“Well as long as _you_ promise.” He smirked at Sousuke as they walked to the bench where Sousuke had already racked up his weights.

“Oh, I promise.” Sousuke grinned at Rin and he felt himself melt a little.

“And I _guess_ I can trust your promises.”

“You know you can.” _I hate that cocky smirk._ Rin went to lay down on the bench, gritting his teeth and trying to ignore how close he was to Sousuke. Today was going to be heavier on the distractions than on the motivations.

“Do I really?” Rin looked straight up at Sousuke as he reached his hands up to grasp the bar. Their eyes met and he could feel himself smiling and see it mirrored on Sousuke’s face. It was a nice moment while it lasted…

“So when’s the wedding?” He could feel himself blushing and Sousuke looked so damn unruffled by the statement. _But it’s really just a stupid innocuous joke to him, isn’t it?_

“Well considering this dork hasn’t even asked me out yet…” Sousuke trailed off, much to the amusement of the couple guys who were in the weight room. Rin could feel himself flaming with embarrassment and frustration; he couldn’t really see the humor in his situation. He stood up abruptly and walked out of the room, ignored Sousuke calling out his name and headed for the park next door.

_I just need some space right now. I just need to sit somewhere quiet so that I can calm down. That shouldn’t have affected me as much as it did but man it sucked to hear Sousuke joke around like that._

“Yeah… like I can just ask you out.” His voice was quiet and he kicked at a low wall along the path, putting far more strength into it than he should have. He winced at the sudden pain in his foot.

“Actually you can.”

“Huh?” He turned and found Sousuke standing behind him, breathing a little more heavily from having run to catch up with him and smiling. He stared at Sousuke, not daring to hope just yet.

“You really can ‘just ask me out’ if you want to.”

“That easy?” Now Rin was the one who sounded like he had been running.

“Yeah.”

“And you couldn’t first?”

“It seemed like a bad idea for a trainer to ask their swimmer out on a date.”

“And it’s better if I ask you?”

“Less weird?”

“No, it’s just as weird.”

“Both options are weird.” They both paused and stared at each other.

“You’re really going to make me ask you?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. Sousuke, there’s a new restaurant that opened up near my apartment. And uh… maybe you want to get food with me some night?”

Sousuke was grinning at Rin and the fact that he was still bright red even after (sort of) asking him out to dinner. He was glad when Rin didn’t pull away as he got in closer, though his eyebrows furrowed and he wouldn’t completely meet Sousuke’s eyes with his own. They both stayed like that a moment until Sousuke cupped Rin’s face in his hands and gently pulled him down so that he could kiss Rin’s forehead.

“Sounds like a date.”


End file.
